Weekend at Gibbs
by hwetty222
Summary: Just another look into the boys lives when Gibbs is the father of Tim and Tony. Weekend starts strong, struggles then ends happy if you keep with it. Mostly Tim centric.
1. Chapter 1

Guys. Please. Please don't hate me. I can't help where my muse takes me though! If anyone out there is feeling creative and want to take my works and finish them, let me know and I would love to read them. Anyways, here is yet again, another story. Enjoy!

"Uh-oh" Five year old Tim said. He nervously looked over the edge of the arm rest of the couch to see bits of cereal everywhere and the milk slowly oozing dangerously close to underneath the couch.

"Tony, get up!" The boy urged his nine year old brother urgently. Panic was beginning to set in. He could not move unless Tony got off the blanket that was covering them both, but Tony appeared dead to the world. That might have been because the older boy got a rude awakening at five that morning to go downstairs and watch cartoons. Tim was not supposed to go downstairs by himself if no one else was awake, so he found the compromise with Tony. The older boy had not been too eager, but with shameless puppy dog eyes and an endless promise that Tim would just keep pestering the older brother, Tony had finally caved. Tony's compromise was to grab a blanket and immediately fall asleep on the couch.

Tim did not care though as he was just happy that Daddy would not be mad at him for coming downstairs alone. _Again._ After turning the TV on, he had realized how hungry he was and got up to make some cereal. He was not going to risk using the toaster that was for sure.

Which is how he ended up in the situation he was in.

After a pleading look at his brother, he spared another glance to the mess and was trying to judge whether he should just leave it, or try and move his lump of a brother. He did not need to think long on it because when he looked up, he saw his father standing at the bottom of the stairs.

"H-hi Daddy" The five year old greeted sheepishly.

"Timmy." His father returned. "Tony." The man continued when he saw a suspiciously Tony like bulge on the couch. He was rewarded with a grunt.

"What happen Timmy?" Gibbs asked returning his focus back to his youngest.

"I spilled my cereal when I was trying to get comfy" Tim explained apologetically.

"Why was there cereal out here anyways?" Gibbs asked with no real heat. Tim knew very well that foods like that weren't allowed in the living room for this specific reason. His boys were clumsy.

"Was hungry" The boy answered contritely.

"Mm-hmm"

"And it's cold in the kitchen!" Tim explained further. Dad did not look upset, but sometimes it was hard to tell. He was real good at hiding how he felt sometimes.

"That's true I suppose." Gibbs replied.

And it was. It was mid-November so the house had a nice chill about it. Gibbs would come downstairs in the morning before the boys got up and make a fire in the wood burning stove. It looked like his boys beat him downstairs today while he was trying to have a sleep-in.

"How about we go clean this up then?" The father suggested and Tim grinned. He then looked at Tony who was still sleeping and had him trapped in. Tim gave him a beseeching look. Gibbs took pity on his youngest and positioned Tony so he was not trapping Tim in. He tucked the blankets further around the boy and made sure he was comfortable. Once they got the mess cleaned up, he was going to start a fire to warm the house up.

"You guys are up kind of early, huh?" That father noted as the two cleaned up the mess with the paper towels they grabbed from the kitchen.

"He made me get up" Tony called sleepily from the couch. He woke up with all the ruckus his younger brother was making.

"I didn't come down alone!" Tim answered, wanting to make that known right away. "Besides, we were just watching TV. Or sleeping in Tony's case"

"Which is what you should have been doing as well, Tim" Gibbs told the five year old. "Cartoons could have waited."

"But the good ones are on now!" Tim clarified.

A loud "humpf" was heard from the couch.

"Why don't you boys go back upstairs for a bit and you can watch cartoons later" Gibbs proposed.

"But I'm not tired Daddy. And I'm still hungry"

"'m comfy" Tony added.

Gibbs sighed. He had seen when Tim's body gave an involuntary shudder from the cold. He also knew he would not be able to convince his sons to go upstairs now.

"Okay, you boys win" The father said, admitting defeat. "Tim you get back under the blankets. I'll be right back and start the fire." The man explained. Tim hurried to obey. His bare feet were freezing. He briefly though about putting them against the bare skin of his brothers back, but quickly nixed the idea. Tony had done him a favor of coming downstairs with his after all.

Once Gibbs saw his sons were warm and snuggly he walked to the kitchen. He threw away the soiled paper towels before putting a pot of coffee on. He threw in a couple of pieces of bread into the toaster. It would have to hold Tim off until breakfast later.

It was Gibb's weekend off from on call and he was looking forward to spending it with his two boys. It was a rare weekend when none of his boys had plans _and_ Gibbs had off. He was looking forward to spending it with his sons.

Once Gibbs came back with some buttered toast for Tim and a coffee for himself, he was Tony fast asleep. Tim was still eagerly watching the cartoons. He handed Tim the plate of toast before he started to make the fire.

"No juice?" Tim asked. Gibbs gave him an incredulous look.

"Yeah, probably not a good idea." Tim said with a chagrined look. Gibbs didn't answer that and instead continued with his task. Once it was going well enough, he got up and started heading to the kitchen.

"Dad wait!" Tim called out.

"What's up, Timmy?" he asked.

"Aren't you going to watch with me?"

"Tony's watching with you" Gibbs evaded.

"He's sleeping" Tim countered easily.

"There's no room on the couch." He tried.

"Sure there is" Tim disagreed. "I'll scoot over" Tim told his father happily. As if to prove his point Tim wriggled over an inch. Gibbs sighed. He had wanted to spend the weekend with his boys, but this was not how he had planned on it.

"Okay" Gibbs said resigned. "Give me a minute"

Sure enough after Gibbs added a few more logs to the fire and refilled his mug, he came back to the couch. He told Tim to stand up and he sat down and pulled the five year old to sit on his lap. Tim happily snuggled into his dad's lap, excited he was actually watching with him. As if Tony sensed the new presence he stretched out lazily and the father placed a gentle hand on his thigh and started to rub it soothingly to keep him sleeping.

"Are you comfortable?" Gibbs asked Tim softly.

Tim nodded. His mouth was currently filled with toast.

"Good" Gibbs said and leaned comfortably in the couch. With a full tummy, warmth fire and blankets and gentle rubbing of his arms from his father, Tim was quickly asleep. Gibbs was not far behind, not at all interested in the cartoons that were playing.

The fire was out but the embers were still going by the time Gibbs woke up. He saw that both of his boys were still sleeping, but now he had to get off the couch without waking Tim. He heard his body popping as he stood up and laid Tim back on the couch. He tucked the blankets around both his son's before adding more wood to the fire. He looked at the clock and saw it was not 7 am. A much more reasonable hour to be awake.

Gibbs made another pot of coffee and grabbed the newspaper by the time Tim woke up. He was still ruffled looking and was rubbing the sleep out of his eyes when he walked into the kitchen fifteen minutes later.

"Morning, Timmy" Gibbs greeted.

"Morning Daddy" Tim returned walking over to his father.

"Tony still sleeping?" Tim nodded. "Are you hungry?" Another nod as the boy climbed lazily on to the island chair.

"What do you want for breakfast?" Gibbs asked.

"Yup. Tony can choose what we have tomorrow." Gibbs explained. "So what's it going to be?"

"Pancakes."

Gibbs was not surprised as Tim always asked for pancakes. He always ate the plain too. But if that's what he wanted he would make them.

"I can do that" Gibbs agreed easily. He got started on the batter and asked Tim to set the table.

After a couple of minutes to wake up, Tim was finally up. Tim chattered away to his father, happy to have the man all to himself. When the table was set, Tim headed out to leave the kitchen mid conversation.

"Where'ye going Timmy?" Gibbs asked, clearly confused about what was happening.

"Potty" The boy said urgently.

"Oh. Wake up Tony up on your way back." The father requested.

"Yes sir" Tim agreed before rushing off.

After Tim finished his business and washed his hands, he thought about what his father asked him to do. He stared at the cup on the bathroom sink for a full minute before getting the courage to fill it up. He was feeling a little guilty for what he was going to do, but Tony was always pulling pranks on him.

He managed to avoid the squeaky steps and ended up standing over his brother who was sleeping away on the couch. He only thought on it for a moment before pouring the cold water on his brother's face. He quickly scrambled back when Tony shot up sputtering. It took Tony a second to connect why his brother was standing there laughing and why his face was wet.

"I'm going to kill you Tim!" Tony yelled and shot off the couch. Tim was still laughing as he ran into the kitchen. He hid behind his father and Tony came to an abrupt stop in front of him.

Gibbs was confused as to what was going on and he did not like that feeling.

"What's going on?" The man asked curiously.

"He poured water on me!" Tony cried out in injustice.

"You asked me to wake him up, Daddy" Tim said innocently, trying to hide his grin.

"Timothy. That's not what I meant and you know it."

"Sorry." Tim said with no real meaning.

Tony harrumphed, not happy with his brother. Gibbs did know that this was a mild prank and Tony had it coming, so he let it slide. He instead told the boys to sit down for breakfast.

"What do you boys want to do today?" The father asked once everyone was settled.

"Nothing." Tim said.

"Tony?" Gibbs asked, hoping for a suggestion.

"I actually agree with Tim on this one" Tony told his dad. "Movies all day."

"That so? So no one wants to go to the pool, movie theater or bowling?"

"Well, when you put it like that, I guess bowling would be fun" Tony said, trying to be nonchalant, but not quiet pulling it off. Timmy on the other hand, had no reservations about showing his enthusiasm.

"Can we Dad?" And we can get pop and nachos" He told Tony as he hopped in his seat.

"Okay Tiger. Settle down. We need to go buy groceries, but we can go after lunch." Gibbs told them. "So eat your breakfast and we can get going."

The rest of breakfast was spent with happy chatter about the plans for the rest of the day. They all helped to clean up. Saturday was a no bath/shower day for the boys, so Gibbs was content to use a wash cloth to wipe up the sticky syrup from Timmy's hand and face. He then sent the boys back to the living room while he grabbed a shower himself and got dressed. As he passed the boys room, he saw toys and clothes everywhere and decided they would have to clean it tomorrow.

When he got downstairs Gibbs tossed another log onto the fire. The boys were back to watching TV and were once more tucked under the blankets even though the chill was gone from the air.

"Go get dressed" The father ordered.

"In a minute" Tim answered.

"Don't you want to go bowling?" Gibbs asked.

"The shows not done yet" Tim complained. Tony wasn't as interested in the show and got up to go upstairs. He paused at Tim's comment. If his brother was going to put up a fuss, that put his day in jeopardy.

"Come on Timmy. They show will be on when we get back" To which he was rewarded with a glance from Tim. "The quicker we get ready the longer we can spend doing other fun things." The older boy wheedled.

"Okay" Tim finally agreed. He kept the blanket wrapped around himself and stumbled towards the stairs.

"Why don't you leave the blanket down here, buddy" Gibbs requested, not wanting his son to get hurt.

"It's cold, Daddy" Tim replied.

"Tim. It's fine with the fire going. I don't want you to trip on the blanket." The father explained.

"My feet are cold though. 'm not wearing socks" He whined.

"You're not wearing socks?" Gibbs asked with fake shock. "Well we don't want your little piggies to fall off, do we?" Gibbs said, before scooping his son up, blankets and all.

Tim let out a laugh of pure amusement.

"Daddy!" The boy shrieked as his father pretended to eat his tummy.

"Toe-nee! Help!" Tim yelled gleefully. He tried to wiggle out of his dad's hold.

Tony didn't need any encouragement and he jumped off the step onto his father's back. Gibbs stumbled, but managed to stay upright. He reached an arm back to try and snag Tony off his back with no luck.

"Uncle!" Gibbs told his sons, much to their delight. "We have shopping to do" he explained. Tony made no move to get off his dad's back.

"Alright, monkey, hold tight" He told the nine year old and headed up the stairs. He was breathing heavy when he got to the top and set his son's down carefully. He grabbed the blanket before sending the boys off to brush their teeth and get ready.

"Timmy gets the bathroom first" Gibbs yelled down the hall as both boys had made a mad dash for the bathroom.

"But dad-"Tony started to complain.

"Go get dressed and Tim will be out by the time you are done" Gibbs cut the older boy off.

Not only could Tony hold it longer, but Tim always managed to get toothpaste or water on his clothes, and Gibbs would prefer it on the boy's jammies than his real clothes.

Gibbs was glad to see both boys got ready without any more encouragement. He noticed Tony's clothes were looking kind of short. He would have to recruit Kate to help him shop later.

A few minutes later the boys were bundled up in their jackets and were ready to go when the phone rang. The two boys looked at their father with anticipated disappointment as Gibbs answered the phone.

"Yeah, Gibbs" He answered. Then a hefty sigh. "It's my weekend off Vance"

"Can't you get another team?" A long pause. "Yeah, I will be there in a little bit"

Gibbs shut his phone and pocketed it before addressing his son's. Tony looked crestfallen, but resigned with what he knew his father was going to say. Tim on the other hand look downright livid.

"I'm sorry, boys" Gibbs told them sadly. "I have to go in for a little bit. I promise the minute I am done, we can spend some time together."

"It's okay" Tony tried to appease, knowing how important his dad's job was. Timmy knew it too, but right now all he could think about was how his dad was going to abandon them for work. Again.

"It's not fair! Don't go Daddy!" Tim yelled at his father.

Gibbs crouched in front of his youngest and grabbed the boy by his waist so he could not run away.

"I know, baby" Gibbs soothed. "It is not fair at all. Right now a family is missing their little boy, and I am on the only team available to find him.

"I don't care!" Tim cried. "I wanna stay with you!"

Knowing that Tim was upset and that the boy wasn't actually that callous, Gibbs let the comments slide. He felt terrible for doing this to his boys, but Gibbs was literally the only team that could handle this case. He did not have the time to talk this out with Timmy and knew it would not appease the boy anyways.

"Tony, go grab some toys for you and your brother please" He requested. "You'll come with me to work until Grandpa can pick you up. Grab the Ipad too" Gibbs told him.

"Yes sir" Tony replied easily. They did not get to play a whole lot on the Ipad, and he knew his father was trying to make this easier on them by allowing unlimited access.

"I hate you" Tim pouted to his father as Tony wen to do as he was bid.

Gibbs sighed. The father let out a loud yelp in pain and shock when Tim kicked him in the shin.

"That's enough Timothy!" I get that you're mad but you do _not_ get to kick me. You can stay here until we leave" Gibbs scolded as he walked his youngest into the corner. The father tried to ignore the tears he saw in his son's eyes. He left Tim in the living room and gathered the things he would need for work. A few minutes later the three of them were ready to leave.

"Come on Timmy, time to go" Gibbs called to his son who still stood in the corner.

Tim shook his head, Gibbs groaned. He did not have time for this. He grabbed Tim by the hand and literally dragged him out of the house. Tim knew not to push his father much more, but he was not going to make this easy for his dad either. Gibbs was quick to catch this. He asked Tony to lock up and picked Tim up and placed the five year old on his hip before heading out to the car which was parked in the driveway. Tim tried to wriggle his way out of his father's firm hold to no avail. Gibbs placed the boy in his booster seat and buckled him in before Tim could protest. Tony had caught and got in the back seat as well. With both boys buckled in, Gibbs got in and drove off to work.


	2. Fun at the Office

Fifteen minutes later they arrived at the NCIS building. Gibbs parked and got out of the car and headed to open Tim's door, which was on child lock. Tony got out of his side and grabbed the bag of toys and snacks without being told.

"Are you going to walk or do I need to carry you again?" Gibbs asked even though he knew the answer. Tim hadn't even unbuckled.

"Okay" The father said before pulling Tim out of the back seat without another word. Tim didn't move to make it easier for him and he didn't speak, making his anger known.

The small family made their way to the building. Gibbs lead the boys down to Abby's lab. It wasn't the first time Abby was asked to babysit and she was happy to do so. Her lab was great as her office was all glass so she could see the boys, while still being able to work. Gibbs would have kept them in the bullpen, but this was an active case and wouldn't allow the chance that his boys would see something inappropriate.

"Abby!" Tony yelled when the elevator doors opened. He ran to the woman and gave her a hug.

"Hey Tony!" She greeted cheerfully. "You guys are going to hang out with me for a bit, huh?"

"Yeah. Dad has to work, but Grandpa is coming soon" Tony clarified, not knowing his father had called her earlier to ask if this was okay.

"Well I am always glad to have you two. I think we'll have some time while we wait for Jack to get here. I got this knew detective kit I have been dying to have you guys use. Now we got the chance. What'd you say Timmy? Want to give it a whirl?" The woman rushed excitedly. It was true that she got the new kit, but she was also trying to get Tim out of his somber mood.

The answer she got was not hopeful. Tim just rested in his dad's arms.

"Heard you weren't too happy see me. Thought an activity might make it better though." Abby said. Again Tim didn't say anything.

"Well that's too bad. I could really use your help." She tried again. Again, Tim did not grab at the bait.

"I wanna go home." Tim sulked instead.

"Well you're stuck with me for the time, but we can still have fun" She said easily.

"Yeah right" The boy muttered.

Gibbs gave his youngest a sharp jiggle to remind him to mind his attitude.

"You're mad at me Tim. Abby is trying to be nice and she does not deserve this attitude." Gibbs told his son. Tim remained silent. When he was set down, he walked over to sit on the chair by Abby's desk where he could see everything she was working on, but pointedly _not_ going to join Tony with his fun.

"Thanks for doing this, Abby. My dad should be here in less than an hour." Gibbs explained. "If Tim's going to sulk the entire time, let him." He added before giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Call if you need anything. Bye Tony!" He shouted to the boy who was already dusting around the lab for fingerprints. He got a halfhearted goodbye and a wave. "Bye Timmy" He added before heading to the elevators. It was no surprise when Tim answered with a huff.

^^^Weekend at Gibbs^^^

True to Gibbs word, Jackson arrived 45 minutes later.

"Jackson! Jackson! Jackson!" Abby shouted gleefully when she saw her boss's dad. She gave him a breathtaking hug before shepherding him further into the lab. Tim was still sitting on the same chair as when Gibbs had left and Tony was using the magnifying glass for something or other.

"Did you lose your marbles?" Jackson teased at the boy, simultaneously letting him know he was there.

"Grandpa! Tony shouted and ran to the man. He squirmed for the sake of squirming when he grandpa picked him up and kissed his forehead. " _Grandpa!_ I'm _nine_ you know."

"Are you now? And what does that matter?" Jackson asked, knowing full well that while Tony protested it, he still loved being cuddled. Nine years old or not. And Jackson saw so little of his grandson's now, that he had to make up for the lost physical attention.

"You can't just pick me up like that." Tony stated smartly once his feet were back on the ground.

"I can't, can I?" The older man asked mischievously.

"Uh-uh" The boy stated, but backed up slowly.

"Well let's see about that!" And Tony was quickly scooped up again, unable to get away.

"Okay! Okay!" Tony said with a laugh. "You can do whatever you want!" He caved.

"Darn right I can. I'm your grandfather. If I want to give you a hug, you're going to get one!" The man stated. "Same goes for you Tim!" He warned kindly.

Tim had looked up when he heard his grandpa's voice. He had not made any move towards him though. Tim knew he was being dumb. His dad had told him as much that he was mad at him and should not take it out on others. But he was just so disappointed and mad that nothing else seemed to matter. At this point, he was not sure how to make himself not upset anymore. So no matter how much he wanted to give his grandfather a hug, he could not will himself to actually do so.

"I can see what Tony has been doing, what have you been up to?" Jackson asked his youngest grandson.

"Nothin'" The boy muttered.

"Nothing? That sounds mighty boring" Tim shrugged. "Well how about we get out of here and grab some grub? Then once we get home, you can find something fun to do." Another shrug.

Jackson sighed. His son had warned him that Tim was not taking too kindly to the fact that their weekend had been ruined. Jackson had hoped that Tim might have cooled off by now, but that obviously had not happened.

The grandfather was trying to be understanding though. Tim was only five years old, and no matter what age, it was never fun to be disappointed. But at five, the boy could not possibly understand how important Gibbs job was. So there was nothing to help soothe the disappointment.

"Well I'm hungry, so let's go. What do you boys say to Abby?" The grandfather prompted.

"Thanks, Abby! I'll come back and figure out who stole your cupcake later." Tony promised.

"Tim" Jackson prompted again.

"Thanks" The five year old said unenthusiastically.

"Thanks again for watching them, Abby. Next time I am in town for a planned visit, we will have to do a team dinner."

And after a final hug, the three boys left the lab and headed upstairs to say goodbye to Gibbs.


	3. Out to Lunch and Other Activities

Once the elevator doors opened, Tim remained still. Not having time for this, Jackson grabbed the young boy and picked him up. He handed Tony the bag of toys.

They found Gibbs and his team in the bullpen standing around the television screen. Kate saw the family first and quickly turned the TV off. Gibbs turned around and saw his boys and father.

"We thought we'd say goodbye before heading out" Jackson explained.

"Thanks, Dad" Gibbs said and gave his father a hug. "Were you good for Abby?" He asked addressing his boys.

"Yes sir" Tony informed with a faint blush. He looked around at his dad's team mates and saw them all watching the family interaction. "I got to check for fingerprints and use one of Abby's microscopes and everything!" He said cheerfully, ignoring the gawkers.

"That's sounds like a lot of fun, Tony. How about you Tim? Did you look for fingerprints too?" he asked, knowing how much his youngest loved doing those sort of things. Gibbs was unsurprised though when Tim shook his head.

"Tiger, I know you are mad at me, but I don't want your weekend to be ruined because of it" Gibbs soothed. Tim just turned away, not wanting to listen.

"Daddy, can you come to lunch with us?" Tony interrupted. The father sighed.

"I can't Tony. You'll have fun with grandpa though, right"

Tony frowned, knowing it was a longshot anyways.

"You two be good for grandpa, okay?" Gibbs told his boys, needing to get back to work.

"K" Tony agreed and gave his dad a quick hug.

"Bye Timmy" Gibbs said and kissed the boy on the forehead. Tim was not sure how to respond. The intense anger he felt earlier this morning was gone. But there was still a slight ached that they were going to be leaving without their father. He resigned himself to sitting rigid on his grandpa's hip.

"I'll be home as soon as I can. Thanks again for coming" Gibbs said addressing his father.

"Not a problem kid" Jackson told him "Come on Tony" The older man urged and was happy when the boy complied.

"Bye Daddy" Tim whispered after his father had turned his back. Gibbs tensed, but turned around quickly and gave his youngest a small smile. He was glad to see his son's resolve breaking. Perhaps it would not be such a bad weekend after all.

"Bye, kiddo" The father returned just as softly. He watched as his family entered the elevator before turning around and getting back to work.

"Where should we go for lunch boys?" Jackson asked when they were walking towards the car. He had put Tim down so he could walk, but was holding his hand.

"Dave's Diner" Tony suggested.

Jackson knew his boys did not go out to eat often and when they did it was to Dave's Diner which was right down the road from the NCIS building. So he was not surprised when Tony suggested it. Knowing Tim was not going to say anything on the matter, Jackson decided the diner was as good as anything. He made sure both boys were secure in the backseat before getting in the front seat and driving off.

The diner was busy since it was a Saturday afternoon. They were able to get a table right away though thankfully. The waitress had brought some crayons and a coloring book for the boys. She took their drink orders and promised to come back soon to take their orders.

"What are you thinking of getting?" Jackson asked the two kids.

"Bacon cheeseburger" Tony said without even looking at the menu. He was coloring a picture of superheroes.

"Sounds good." The grandpa acknowledged. "How 'bout you Timmy?"

Silence.

"He'll have chicken tenders with mashed potatoes" Tony said, still coloring.

"Tim can order for himself" Jackson said. "Is that what you want?" He asked Tim. Tim nodded. Nothing else was said until the waitress returned.

"Are we ready to order?" She asked pleasantly.

"Yes ma'am." Jackson told her. "I'll have a Reuben with fries please" He requested.

"And for you hun?" She asked Tony.

"I'll have a bacon cheeseburger and fries please?" She wrote that down before addressing Tim.

"And for you sweetheart?"

Silence.

"He'll have-" Tony started before he was cut off by his grandfather.

"Nope. Tim can order himself. Timothy" The man prompted.

Silence again.

"Okay. Thanks Annette, that's all" Jackson told the waitress.

"Wait!" Tim shouted, before she could go too far. He wanted to sit there and sulk and refuse to eat, but his tummy was already yelling at him. He knew grandpa would not let him have lunch at home if he refused to eat here. So with cheeks burning with embarrassment, he sucked it up and ordered.

"Chicken tenders and mashed potatoes" Tim muttered to the table.

"Sure thing, Swe-"

"Try again, Timothy." Grandpa cut off again. He knew his son would not let the boy get away with being that rude, and he was sure as heck was not going to allow for it.

Once more he was greeted with silence and crossed arms.

"This is your last chance Timothy or you can go hungry." Jackson warned.

"Can I please have chicken tenders and mashed potatoes?"

This time the waitress looked at Jackson before confirming the order. She left to go place the orders.

"What should we do after lunch?" Jackson asked a few minutes later. The earlier incident quickly forgotten.

"We were going to go bowling with dad" Tony informed.

"Is that what you want to do still?"

Tony took a minute to consider this. He knew if he said yes, they would go. He also knew Tim would make it a miserable experience. He would rather stay home and watch movies.

"Nah, it's alright. Maybe dad can take us tomorrow" The nine year old answered.

Jackson was happy with that decision. His knobby knuckles made it so he couldn't bowl himself. He also had no desire to try and take his youngest grandson to the bowling alley to sulk the entire time.

"Bowling is out, is there anything else you boys want to do?" Jackson asked again.

"No" Tim and Tony said together.

Jackson left it at that. He did not really want to go out today anyways.

The food was brought out fifteen minutes later and Tony was talking about school and football. Slowly, Tim began to open up. He also talked about school as well as his science projects.

"Are we going to go grocery shopping grandpa?" Tony asked when the waitress had taken the credit card to be ran.

"Are we supposed to?" The man asked.

"We were going to go with Dad" Tim answered before Tony could.

"I mean we can, but I don't know what you guys need." The grandfather said cautiously.

"Weelll" Tony started. "We could just get stuff for brownies" The boy wheedled.

"Well we can't have brownies for supper" Jackson said with a raised eyebrow.

"Spaghetti!" Tim shouted eagerly. He loved his grandpa's spaghetti. "We could have spaghetti for supper" He added more calmly.

Jackson was happy to see the exuberance. While Tim was no longer sulking, he was still not his happy self. So if Tim was excited for spaghetti, gosh darn it, they would have spaghetti.

"Okay, we can make a quick stop for brownie and spaghetti stuff before we go home. Are you both ready then?" He asked after his card was returned.

He got two "yes sirs" in return and the three left the restaurant and headed to the grocery store.

^^^^^^NCIS^^^^^^

Grocery shopping went by without a hitch. They got the supplies they needed and some popcorn and hot chocolate for a movie later. They made it home in good time as well. Tony had immediately set up a movie in the living room and Tim went upstairs to do who knew what. Jackson started the spaghetti as it would take the rest of the day for the sauce to cook.

A few hours later, after Tony had finished the first movie and was about to start the second, the grandfather asked him to turn it off.

"Why?" Tony asked. "Dad's not here, and it isn't like I have other plans." The boy offered.

"I know" Jackson agreed. "If your father were here though, you would not be allowed to watch movies all day. I don't want you to either. Go pick something else to do please, and we can watch something after supper as a family." The older man proposed.

"Okay" The nine year old agreed easily. The prospect of a movie with his grandpa and brother later sounded like fun. "Can I go out back and play then?"

It was a nice day for November, so the grandfather had no qualms about it.

"I'll go get your brother and we'll make some cocoa and meet you outside, alright?"

"Sure!" Tony shouted barely paying attention as he ran outside.

"Put a coat on!" The man yelled and made sure the boy listened before heading upstairs to get his youngest grandson.

When he got there, Jackson entered the boys room and saw Tim on his bed playing a game on the IPAD. The man took a minute to assess the room and noted how messy it was. There was barely a clear path to the beds.

"Might be time to clean this room up" The grandpa voiced as he walked towards Tim's bed.

"It's Saturday." The boy said instantly and looked up from his game.

"So?"

"There are no extra chores on Saturday" Tim explained. Just because dad was not here did not mean he was going to clean up. No matter how much he knew the room needed it.

"I did not mean you had to do it today. I was just commenting, Tim" Jackson said.

"Good." Tim commented and returned to his game. Jackson raised an eyebrow to the comment, but didn't say anything.

"I came up here to tell you it's time to take a break from the IPad." He told the boy.

Again Tim looked up.

"But Dad's not here. He told me I could play with it" Tim wheedled.

"That may be se, but you aren't going to play on that thing all day. You can have it again after supper" The grandpa compromised.

"But I am half way through this level" The five year old complained and gripped the electronic tightly.

"Then you best save it." Jackson said firmly and took a step towards the bed.

"I'll be done once I finish this level. Promise" Tim said and a clutched it even closer.

"You will be done now or done for the night" Jackson explained.

"There is nothing to do here though!" Tim whined.

"Tony is outside. Why don't you join him?" Jackson informed as he held a hand out for the IPad.

"I don't want to" Time moaned, making no movement to hand it over.

"That's fine" The grandpa noted. "But you are done with _that_ for now. This is your last chance before you are done with it for the night. Your choice." Jackson told Tim firmly.

The five year old considered his options. He didn't want to go play with Tony. He wanted to play with the iPad. He knew his grandpa was serious though. Tim reluctantly handed it over to the awaiting hand.

"Thank you, Timmy" The grandfather said. "Would you like to join Tony or help me make the brownies?" The man asked.

He knew Tim loved baking. But today apparently, Tim wasn't feeling it. Instead, the boy crossed his arms and looked away from his grandpa.

"Okay. When you are done sulking, you can come downstairs and play." Jackson added before leaving Tim's room.

Tim considered his grandpa's words. He wasn't ready to join him yet, and Tim opted to lay down for a bit. He closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep.

^^^Weekend at Gibbs^^^

I promise Tim will get out of this funk in the next two chapters. Finished my finals today, so now I have more time to type these stories up.


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